SALISBURY — In the two weeks since the death of Karen Alexander, Salisbury’s much-loved mayor and ground-breaking architect, among many other titles, has been celebrated and remembered in offices and coffee shops and in board rooms and meetings. On Saturday, as the ice melted from the roadways, she was formally honored at a celebration of life service at Catawba College.

Family, friends, coworkers, peers and members of her community gathered at 2 p.m. at the Omwake-Dearborn Chapel on the college campus. In spite of a snow and ice storm the night before, the chapel was closing in on standing room only, with every pew filled, and the walls on both sides lined by police and firefighters in dress uniform, paying respects to a leader who understood the importance of their jobs.

There were four speakers at the service, Mayor Pro Tem Tamara Sheffield, Livingstone College President Dr. Anthony Davis, former Salisbury mayor and former Secretary of  North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Susan Kluttz, and Alexander’s son and only child, Daniel Almazan.

Each speaker had a different connection to Alexander, but the woman each of them described was, in truth, always the same. Kluttz said it best: “The public and private Karen were the same.”

Sheffield explained that over the seven years the two women worked together on the city council to serve the city of Salisbury, they had become not just colleagues, but friends, despite their differences.

Alexander, she said, was always dressed in the perfect suit, and always with her pearls, looking elegant and stylish, “while I might walk in in shorts and a sweatshirt and a ball cap.” But the two shared not just a passion for the city and its residents, but over time, a deep friendship.

“She always knew when I was sad, hurting, and she would ask about it without getting in your business,” Sheffield said. “But she would do so in such a way that before I knew it, I was telling her what I was sad or upset about. And whether on the phone or in person, she always greeted me the same way. ‘Hey sweetie.'”

They shared a love of dogs, as well, and Sheffield said as well as she thought she knew Alexander, she was always finding out new things. When the two were at a ribbon cutting at Novant for a helicopter, she discovered Alexander had her pilot’s license. When they were at the Latin American Independence Festival, “Karen said let’s read the proclamation together. You can read it in English and I’ll read it in Spanish. I didn’t know she could speak Spanish, but in my mind, I thought, ‘of course she can.'”

She and Kluttz both commented on working with Alexander in male-dominated fields, often finding themselves the only women at a table, but that never seemed to bother Alexander. Kluttz said when she left to take her job in Raleigh and Alexander was appointed to fill the seat on the city council, “I knew she would be perfect, and she was, and when she became mayor, I knew that would be wonderful for the city, because she was so passionate about everything she did.”

The two women began to meet weekly for lunch, until the day came that Alexander told Kluttz about her diagnosis, “but even then, she was so strong about it.” She had asked that they change from a lunch date to an afternoon tea, “and it was the day the remnants of Helene were coming through. The sky was dark, and there was just an eerie feeling about the day. She came in and we sat at the card table … and she told me the good news about the things happening in Salisbury. And then she said, ‘now for the bad news.’ And she shared with me the diagnosis her doctor had surprised her with.”

She said Alexander had decided she wanted to continue to work as long as possible, but said their meetings from that point on were by phone. She was, she said, amazed by Alexander’s strength, and her ability to remain positive.

“She never said, ‘why me,’ never complained, she remained until the end the positive, strong woman I had always known,” she said.

Davis, who got to know Alexander in her relationship with Livingstone, said he understood why everyone who got to know her felt she became a friend.

“She made sure that you knew that she cared,” he said. The last time she visited the campus, “she stopped by for just a minute.  She said she had another meeting to get to but she just wanted us to know that she was there, and that Livingstone was always important to her and to Salisbury.”

“She was loved, and will be remembered, for the relationships she developed and the trust she built,” said Davis.

In sharing the stories of her life, Alexander was lauded for her barrier-breaking work as an architect, starting her own firm at a time when there were still very few women in the field, and for the buildings she created for the city of Salisbury as much as anywhere else. Praise included the way she helped the police department reconfigure their existing structure, making the most of the space without having to move, as well as the city’s customer service building and for the way her designs were intended to offer more than just space, but a benefit to the environment. She was always happy to offer her expertise for the good of the city.

Almazan was the final speaker to share his memories, and he offered moments of laughter as well as love as he talked about his mother.

“Her superpower was her energy,” he said. “and her love for everyone.” He agreed with others that she always kept an incredible schedule, and never seemed to tire.

“I called her one day and told her a friend and I were going skydiving and she said, ‘oh, I’m in.’ And she came along. It might be the one time she didn’t wear her pearls,” he laughed. “She was protective and supportive, and always there. I know that yes, I was a mama’s boy growing up and that presented some challenges, but that’s OK. She had, we all know, an incredible sense of style, and I was the best dressed child growing up.

“When I was in grade school and everyone was carrying lunch boxes,” he continued, “I was carrying a briefcase. When I got to middle school, it was a bit of a rude awakening, but we got through it.”

“Christy, you were the daughter she never had,” he said to his wife, his voice catching. And he thanked Henry, Alexander’s husband, for the 30 years of love they had shared.

Those who attended the service were invited to a reception next door at the Center for the Environment, one of many buildings Alexander designed.

“She was always there, even after she became involved in politics and became the mayor,” Almazan said. “It meant we had to share her with all of you, but that was OK. She loved what she did, and she loved us, and we knew it. The last few months, when she had to slow down a bit, we had a chance to spend a lot of time together and that was such a gift. And even on her last day, she was worried about others. That’s who she was, until the very end.”

In addition to numerous memorials and remembrances, the city was also holding a candlelight vigil and memorial service for the public to attend at 5:30 p.m. Monday night at Bell Tower Green.